MEMPHIS, Tenn. — For 125 years, the Salvation Army has served the Mid-South by helping those in need, but they can’t do it without your help.
That’s why they are ringing the bells a little earlier this year by having Christmas in July.
Bell ringers will be outside several Kroger locations across the region.
Every dollar raised will go toward a family in need.
Maxine Whitfield is a mother of four who will do anything to make sure her girls are well taken care of.

“I can’t quit because I’m a mom,” said Whitfield.
However, when life took an unexpected turn, causing her to lose her job and home, she says she felt like she hit a brick wall.
“I didn’t have my car. I didn’t have a job. I didn’t have any income. My kids were growing out of their clothes,” said Whitfield.
Maxine says she had no choice but to move into a hotel, but then she got a call from someone with the Salvation Army offering her a way out.

“It was hard at first to accept that I was in a shelter. I was questioning how did I get here but since being here I don’t say that anymore. I know that my steps were ordered by God because I have been protected since I’ve been here. I’m different since I’ve been here,” said Whitfield.
The Salvation Army’s Purdue Center of Hope houses 130 women and children in desperate need of assistance.
According to the organization, it is one of the only centers that allows women and their children to live there free of charge for up to two years.
“I haven’t seen them turn a mom away,” said Whitfield.
Since staying at the facility, Maxine says the staff has helped her discover resources to secure a new job, find reliable transportation, get new clothes for her girls, and look for housing.
Maxine is now thriving at her new job and says she wants to go to school to pursue a career in law.
“I’ve been able to really focus and recenter myself concerning areas that I need to grow in,” said Whitfield.
The Purdue Center of Hope is just one of the centers the Salvation has to help the community, and every dollar raised this month will go towards helping people just like Maxine.
To sign up to be a bell ringer, click this link.